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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar won’t hit the general market until later this week, but following early access events recently, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in value.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub drew a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, it features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). The real boon in its design is another power: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, this card was available for $26.98. Post-prerelease, yet, its value has shot up above $45 including listings as high as $60. Why are we seeing such high costs on this adorable card? Mostly thanks to the rapid resource generation it enables.

As it hits play, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card into a creature with earthbend. Combined with its other power, if it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to other creatures you have that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate one green mana. Yet many alternative mana dorks out there. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play an enormous pricey monster on the battlefield within a few turns. The situation escalates exponentially by maintaining dominance from that point.

By incorporating another color with this approach, cards like versatile mana producers are all great options that can make all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put one extra land every round as well as turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own Forests along with other subtypes. Essentially, every single creature on your board may generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (like Ashaya, P/T are equal to the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability makes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so all earthbend forests yield three G.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, on the other hand, renders your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to search for every Forest left from your library. If you can actually activate that ability, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use earthbend. By including Gruul colors, you can use this legendary card. He has level 4 earthbending, plus if it hits a player to a player, all land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has become a beloved leader, this small creature is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.